Indiana Students Succeed at Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest

Indianapolis—Indiana was well represented at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park (June 9-13), with 57 students competing and five projects reaching the finals and/or receiving special awards. They include:

Cole Smith (Pittsboro, Ind.)
Winner of Irish or Irish-American History Prize (a trip to Ireland), sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians
Senior Individual Performance
Title: “The Arrival of Christianity: The Turning Point in Irish History, Blessing or Curse?”

Priya Moorthy (Sycamore School, Indianapolis)
Junior Individual Documentary
Title: “The Murder of Steven Biko:
A Turning Point in the Demise of Apartheid in South Africa”
Winner of Outstanding State Entry for the Junior Division

Matthew Ess, Samuel Scheetz and Sam Kochert (Central Catholic Jr./Sr. High School, Lafayette, Ind.)
Fifth Place, Senior Group Exhibit
Winner of Outstanding State Entry for the Senior Division
Title: “Golden Age of Scientific Management”(Also displayed their exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum
of American History on June 12)

Other highlights of the Indiana contingent’s trip included meeting elected officials from Indiana and attending an event for NHD participants at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where the exhibit from Ess, Scheetz and Kochert was displayed alongside one project from each state/affiliate.

National History Day in Indiana is a year-long program dedicated to enhancing history education in elementary and secondary schools. Students in grades four through 12 explore a historical subject and then use their research to create imaginative exhibits, original performances, media documentaries, Web sites and papers. The 2013 theme is “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events.”

National History Day in Indiana has been organized by the Indiana Historical Society for more than a decade and has played an active part in Indiana’s schools across for more than 25 years, with more than 4,200 Indiana students taking part in 2013 alone. Sponsors of this year’s state program are Ingram Micro Inc. and The Rooker Family Foundation.

For more information on this and other Indiana Historical Society programs, contact the IHS at (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.

About the Indiana Historical SocietySince 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor exhibitions called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming. For more information, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.

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For more information, images or to schedule an interview, contact Amy Lamb, Media Relations Manager, at (317) 232-1878 or alamb@indianahistory.org.